1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for accessing and managing property-centric information, and, more particularly to a wireless device that uses positioning data to access such information.
2. Description of the Related Art
People often desire to obtain information about a particular location at which they are located, whether it be a famous or historic landmark, an office building, a business location, a piece of real estate, an airport, a hotel, shopping mall, or a sports arena. The traditional methods of obtaining such information include using printed materials such as guide books, maps, etc., communicating with people knowledgeable about the particular location, and researching the particular location either before or after being physically present at the location.
Such methods of obtaining information may significantly detract from the person's ability to appreciate or experience the location at which they are present. Put more simply, the person may not be able to gather or access enough information about the location because it is not readily available. For example, if a person is visiting a famous landmark at a time when there are no tour guides available and the local gift shop is closed, the person may not be able to obtain valuable information about the landmark. Although the person may be able to get the information later, that isn't always a suitable alternative. Even in the event where a person is able to obtain printed materials, they are often cumbersome to carry around and read through while traveling from place to place. Moreover, as a person visits numerous locations, they tend to accumulate vast amounts of printed materials.
Another example in which location-specific information is not readily obtained is during a search real estate search. The traditional method of buying real estate requires the prospective purchaser to transact through a real estate broker for virtually every aspect of the transaction, from finding a desired property to completing the sale. Often the most difficult part of the process, from the buyer's perspective, is locating a desired piece of real estate. There are generally two methods employed to locate a desired piece of property.
The first method relies solely on the real estate broker to use his or her contacts to locate property that meets the buyer's specifications. The second is more random, in that if a buyer happens to pass a piece of property that is displaying a “for sale” sign, the buyer can write down the phone number shown on the sign to later inquire about the property, which then places the transaction totally within the broker's hands, as the broker controls all the information relating to the property (e.g., size and cost).
People also have a difficult time finding exactly the right features in their house search or have trouble adding exactly the right features to their existing homes. People generally have difficulty finding exactly the right manufacturer or service provider to provide particular features for their home or office. Moreover, it is difficult to find an architect to design a home of the style that a person desires, or to find a landscaper or gardener to achieve a look that a person wants, etc. Most often, people will look in the phone book to get a list of service providers or manufacturers and then end up driving all over town to review samples of various service providers' work.
Over the last few years, various computer-related methods for locating real estate have been introduced. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,032,989 relates to a computerized map-based real estate search system in which a user can zoom in on a map to greater levels of detail, in order to obtain a more accurate view of the location of an available piece of property. The mapping system in the '989 patent is centered about a user-selectable landmark, and the different maps that are generated are also centered about the landmark. There is an associated property database that can be accessed remotely either by searching by specified criteria or by using the mapping system. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,810 covers an Internet map-based real estate search system that operates in a similar manner to the '989 patent. The system disclosed in the '810 patent also permits a user to search criteria after narrowing the map-based search down to the city level, thereby allowing a criteria-based search in addition to a location-based search.
When accessing property information via a computer, it is often desirable to view an image of the property at the same time. In this regard, U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,216 is directed to an interactive multimedia real estate database including interior images and exterior images of the selected house, the floor plan of the house, a textual description of the property, etc. Additionally, links are provided on the exterior image of the house that, if clicked, permit the user to view the interior of the corresponding room.
The foregoing patents require a user to be located at a computer, and remote from the property. The technology disclosed in these patents is not effective when a buyer is driving past a particular piece of property and would like additional information about that property. It would be desirable for a prospective buyer to be able to access information relating to a piece of property as the buyer was present at the property, at any time of day, and whether or not the property displayed a “for sale” sign. This type of information is ideally suited to be transmitted via a wireless device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,930,699 relates to an address retrieval system based on the position of a cellular telephone. A cell phone user can request information relating to businesses that are located in the proximity of the user, based upon the geographic position of the user as determined by pinpointing the location of the cell phone. Once the location of the user is determined, a database that is keyed on geographic location is searched, looking for businesses of the type requested by the user (e.g., restaurants, gas stations, hotels, etc.) that are located in the area around the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,721 discloses a mobile computer system having a built-in global positioning system (GPS) locator and an associated database that displays relevant information to the user based upon the user's current location. The database is accessed in real time as the user's position changes and is primarily focused on task-based information. For example, if a stored task is to buy milk, as the user approaches the grocery store, he or she is reminded to buy milk. This patent also discusses route planning between multiple stops, as well as a business-locating function similar to that described in the '699 patent.
It will thus be appreciated that it is difficult for a person to obtain information related to a specific location without the person knowing their actual location. It is further difficult for a person to locate information about service providers that contributed to the construction or maintenance of a particular location.